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Ce sont eux qui contribuent à réduire la pagaille.

Ce sont eux qui contribuent à réduire la pagaille.
They are the ones who contribute to reducing the mess.
From Lesson 441:Emphasizing the subject (c'est... qui)·French

Questions & Answers about Ce sont eux qui contribuent à réduire la pagaille.

Why is it Ce sont eux and not C'est eux?
In formal and standard written French, when c'est is followed by a third-person plural pronoun like eux or elles, the verb être becomes plural: ce sont. In everyday spoken French, you will often hear native speakers say c'est eux, but ce sont eux is the grammatically correct form expected in writing at a B2 level.
Why does the verb contribuent end in -ent here?
In a cleft sentence using qui, the verb following qui must agree with the antecedent (the word that qui refers back to). Since qui refers directly to the third-person plural pronoun eux, the verb contribuer must be conjugated in the third-person plural as contribuent.
Why do we use the preposition à before the infinitive réduire?
The verb contribuer requires the preposition à when it is followed by an infinitive verb or a noun. To say "to contribute to doing something" in French, the structure is always contribuer à faire quelque chose.
What exactly does la pagaille mean?
La pagaille is a very common, slightly informal noun meaning a mess, chaos, or a shambles. It refers to a state of total disorder. You will also frequently hear the expression mettre la pagaille, which means to make a mess or to cause havoc.

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